ADHD and Pre-Med?

[Bergamasque]

Greetings,

I’m a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry and Mathematical Sciences at my state school in New York. I am hispanic and first-gen, I migrated to the US at a very early age because of health complications. These health complications called for frequent visits to the hospital, and with it an increasing interest in the biomedical sciences. Unfortunately at the age of 5, I was diagnosed as hyperactive and was suggested to repeat the grade because I wasn’t mature enough to continue. My parents were convinced that I was intelligent and normal-functioning so they thought nothing of it, as the symptoms presented themselves in teacher conferences and daily life.

When I became of age, last semester, I took my concerns to the doctors, and then a psychiatrist, where I was diagnosed with severe symptoms of ADHD and began receiving treatment. Unfortunately, I had cycled through 3 different medications of varying doses before I finally settled with one about 2 months ago (due to amphetamines being listed as a controlled substance, this took almost a year). I ended with a 1.0, and 1.5 GPA for my freshman year and a 2.8 for the first 1/2 of my sophomore year while I was changing doses. My current GPA is roughly 2.6 and far too low to even consider myself “pre-med”.

I’ve done well in my courses since I’ve began Adderall XR this semester but I’m afraid that not much can be done about those past three semesters. I am considering Post-Docs, SMP’s, or a Research Masters along with deferring graduation and overloading on upper-level STEM courses for my 5th year. I would love to make this a great “comeback” story but the journey to Medical School is tedious for everybody. Here is a list of questions that have been bothering me for the past month.

1. If a sophomore URM with a critically low GPA and documented LD (Learning Disability) repairs his transcript with a compelling reason, a very strong upward trend and an extra year of upper-level science courses, can he/she get into a medical school?

2. If the sophomore with the LD requires more time to collect him/herself and become fully adjusted to the regimen, what programs should they consider to demonstrate sufficient academic potential if their undergrad transcript suggests otherwise? How affordable are these programs?

3. If the student with the LD wants to write about their predicament in their applications, or disclose it during the interview, should they?

4. Is it realistic to dream about Medical School while being ADHD?

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[DokterMom]

1. If a sophomore URM with a critically low GPA and documented LD (Learning Disability) repairs his transcript with a compelling reason, a very strong upward trend and an extra year of upper-level science courses, can he/she get into a medical school?

2. If the sophomore with the LD requires more time to collect him/herself and become fully adjusted to the regimen, what programs should they consider to demonstrate sufficient academic potential if their undergrad transcript suggests otherwise? How affordable are these programs?

3. If the student with the LD wants to write about their predicament in their applications, or disclose it during the interview, should they?

4. Is it realistic to dream about Medical School while being ADHD?

# 1 and 4 - Absolutely. Many MD students have been diagnosed ADHD and successfully treated.

#2 - Sorry - Can't help you there... Extra time during medical school is likely to be hard to come by. But if you meant before applying -- like 5-year plan, SMP, DIY post-bac -- Those are all good options and sound strategies for you. Shoot for 2-3 years of strong academic performance before applying, and if all of that can happen before you officially graduate (5-yr plan), so much the better.

#3 - In your case, since you're (presumably) going from poor performance to stellar, some mention of the reason why appears necessary and appropriate. In general though, you are trying to 'sell' yourself, so including too much information that works against you is counter-productive. Disclose as much as you need to, not more.

 

[Drez06]

Hey there!

Totally agree with the comments above.

#1 and #4 - absolutely! It’s very possible and lots of people have done it before, considering you get yourself stabilized and show an upward trend from here on out.

#2 - I’m a firm believer in gap years, I had nearly 10. My GPA was pretty low after undergrad for similar reasons (ADHD, along with PTSD). Ended up getting some real world experience and doing a science-y grad certificate program to show I was up to the rigors of med school. If you’re referring more to academic accommodations, contact student/disability services at your school, they should be able to help you out.

#3 - in my experience, putting my experiences with mental health in my app only helped my app at the school I was accepted at, but careful you don’t make it the entire story and that the way you talk about it doesn’t make it seem like you’re making excuses, if that makes sense.

#4 - again, it is realistic, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I did it with ADHD and other mental health diagnoses, you can too. It’s going to take a lot of hard work but don’t give up on it before you even really begin.

Good luck!

 

[gyngyn]

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